moderate.

These two songs were written for my grandfather's funeral in October 1999; he was 86, had lived a full, happy life, and passed away quite suddenly, but peacefully. In the French-Canadian dialect, "pépére" is still a term of endearment, whereas in France that is no longer so. I have always used mémére and pépére to address my grandparents on both sides of the family, so I felt it was appropriate to title these short pieces in French (a language I am far from comfortable with). The first movement is a solemn march, the second is a sort of free form lament. I wanted to write music that fit the circumstance without being melodramatic or tragic, because there was really nothing tragic about the death and the La Roses aren't a melodramatic family. I would like these pieces to have a life beyond their original purpose and become simply concert pieces or pieces for any solemn occasion.

ca. 4'

1999.

score.

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